riczhang Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 And while that lowers the cost of the animation, you still have a far more star-studded cast than comparable traditional animated films.Princess and the Frog cost $105 million. Most 21st Century traditional animated films cost between 80-100 million BUT the casting for all of them was less intensive on the budget AND they were less epic in scope and presentation.This. And Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame cost $100 million in 1997. That was voice with Demi Moore, who was a big star at the time. I'd say inflation adjust that and then adjust down a bit because Disney is known for spending lavishly on movies. I mean Tangled cost something like 200-250 million. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted April 27, 2013 Author Share Posted April 27, 2013 Spark 2: Ignition I loved Spark 1; easily my favorite animated film in CAYOM so far. Naturally, I was hyped for the sequel. How does it stand? Let's see. Let's get this out of the way first: this is not as good as the original Spark. Spark 2 makes the terrible, terrible mistake of the villain being a businessman who doesn't care about the environment. This isn't his entire character, but it's such a horribly overused archetype that I can't ever stand. Mark Strong portrays him well, but it made me incredibly sad that this archetype was used for what I deem one of CAYOM's best franchises. I also issues with the political undertones of the film, being out of place with the rest of the film at points That said, I still loved the movie. The vocal cast was great as in the previous movie, and the removal of David Faustino makes my inner-Korra-hater joyful. Paul Dano does a much better job as Alex in the role, and Benedict Cumberbatch may just win a second Oscar for the same role. The action scenes are breath-taking to watch, just as in the original. The story is pretty good too, when it's not encountering the previous issues mentioned in this review. All in all, Spark 2 is an enjoyable film on its own, but when compared to the original, it falls short thanks to a poor villain and unnecessary politics. 8/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 (edited) Eh, the environmental themes of the movie were meant to be really downplayed. Both methods would have been environmentally stable, but Kozar still wanted maximize his profit and glory. It's not just him wanting to preserve old methods, he just wants to beat the rest to the finish line. Its less about environmentalism and more on corporate ethics. Looking back, though, I really didn't like what I did with the film in some regards.That said, I can understand your problems with it. Its definitely more based around non action issues tha the first film. I feel like Spark 2 was just something to keep the audience into it before Spark 3, which I promise you will be very large in scope. The first two Sparks are behaving, reception wise, at least, a lot like the first two Shrek films. It's still getting good reviews, so that's worth something. Edited April 27, 2013 by Spaghetti 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 Hollywood Hollywood is an interesting take on an Oscar contender: a straight out comedy. I don't believe we've had a single comedy OC in the game, except for Eccentric Minds, which works as a Wes Anderson film. This didn't even have Anderson's name behind it, but still, it's trying for prestige through satire. Does it achieve it? Well, to be honest, I don't really know. The film is entertaining enough and yes, very humorous too. The script however moves very, very slowly in the middle of the film, which I can understand, but it wasn't really to my liking. Dillon and Tomei give servicable performances, but I didn't really find their characters that intriguing, despite being the main characters. John Goodman is the star here. His director, never being named, is always amusing to watch and Goodman brings his A-game from The Artist, Argo, and Careful Laid Plans to the role, even though I doubt Hollywood will join those three films with the honor of Best Picture. I also enjoyed the celebrities portraying themselves; Rourke and Dunaway both do a great job satirizing themselves and the film overall is likely to appear on my Best Ensemble vote. In other areas though, I just found it too boring at points to enjoy and felt like the main characters could've been spiced up. 7.5/10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted April 28, 2013 Author Share Posted April 28, 2013 The RIse and Fall of Julius Caesar I'm not a fan of historical epics, and although I enjoyed it, I thought Alesia was overrated. However, the subject matter of this is a lot more intriguing to me than Alesia's, despite the similarities. So, what did I think of the film that's getting consistent As? I'll be blunt: it was a massive improvement from Alesia. I agree with Spaghetti's analysis on the politics of the film: it was just as thrilling as the battle scenes. He compared it to Lincoln, but I'd say the politics in this film is even more exciting than Lincoln. Of course, the battle scenes are fantastic too, and overall, the film is just plain thrilling, thanks to Peter Weir's fantastic directing and writing. Weir will win his overdue Oscar for either the script or directing this year, or maybe even both. The cast is fantastic as well. I'm aware I just said this with Hollywood, but this ensemble is just amazing. The four main actors (Owen, Cavill, Goode, and Bettany) all do a fantastic job, being utterly convincing in their roles. The score by Patrick Doyle is to note as well, as he may just win a second Oscar for the same trilogy. His motifs and themes are not to be missed. All in all, Caesar is the best historical epic in a long while, and worthy of all the praise it has recieved. 9.5/10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4815162342 Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7Cig84suHM Your generosity will not be forgotten in a future film some years from now, Director Blank Coulson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted May 2, 2013 Author Share Posted May 2, 2013 The Wanders It's no secret I hate horror movies; I don't believe there's ever been a single horror movie in my top 25. However, when Hiccup said this would be a heavy Oscar-contender, I was interested. After all, Society was one of my favorite films of last year, and Hiccup proved himself as being able to write a great drama. So what did I think of The Wanders? Well to be honest, The Wanders is two-thirds of the most exciting horror movie CAYOM has given us... and then a third that is simply average sci-fi. I understand the want for a twist in modern filmmaking, but the twist in this film was unsatisfying to me, and I would've been happy with the story staying with the simple horror aspects. The ending is also very anticlimatic. The acting was fine; higher caliber than most horror movies. This is definitely the better of director Ridley Scott's two films this year. The score was above-average, but nothing special. The script, as previously mentioned, is very sharp and exciting for the first two-thirds, but the film definitely takes a nosedive in quality once the twist happens. All in all, The Wanders was surprisingly enjoyable for the stuff I thought I'd hate, but overall, is a very disappointing film, that is still worth seeing once. 7/10 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted May 2, 2013 Author Share Posted May 2, 2013 And now, you guys have a choice. Would you like me to: A. Do another round of reviews B. Work on reading all of Part 1 and posting my top 25 within a week I have Prom this weekend, Tech Week for a musical next week, and then said musical next weekend followed by two days of intense studying for an AP test, so another full round of reviews may not be doable, but I can try. Alternatively, B will guarantee my top 25 be posted by May 17. It's your choice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 And now, you guys have a choice. Would you like me to: A. Do another round of reviews B. Work on reading all of Part 1 and posting my top 25 within a week I have Prom this weekend, Tech Week for a musical next week, and then said musical next weekend followed by two days of intense studying for an AP test, so another full round of reviews may not be doable, but I can try. Alternatively, B will guarantee my top 25 be posted by May 17. It's your choice...B for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezen Baklattan Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 I'll go with B as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riczhang Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 Definitely the B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiccup Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted May 4, 2013 Author Share Posted May 4, 2013 Finished every film EXCEPT Celluloid Heroes, since I have to go to Prom now and I'd like to take my time reading that one. Top 25 should start by Wednesday. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChD Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Finished every film EXCEPT Celluloid Heroes, since I have to go to Prom now and I'd like to take my time reading that one. Top 25 should start by Wednesday. Great news. Have fun, by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 The top 25 shall be released in alphabetical order by what the first actor listed in the film is most known in real life for according to IMDB. It will always be a film, so for a couple of the actors, it definitely won't be their most known work. I'll be listing 25-6 plus ten honorable mentions. The list begins now! Known for the comedy 21 Jump Street... 24. Channing Tatum in Walking With You Known for the superhero movie The Amazing Spider-Man... 13. Andrew Garfield in LucIId Known for the silent comedy The Artist... 19. Jean Dujardin in South Pacific 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 Known for the family drama Children of Heaven... 9. Reza Naji in Innocense Known for the superhero drama The Dark Knight... 8. Aaron Eckhart in Life After Death Known for the comedy Girl Most Likely... 11. Darren Criss in The Terrible Plight of Freddy Zapper 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 Known for the crime film Goodfellas... HM: Robert DeNiro in The Mind Behind the Movies Known for the comedy The Hangover... HM: Bradley Cooper in Justice League Known for the romantic sci-fi Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind... 20. Jim Carrey in Flying Spaghetti Monster the Great and Holy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hiccup Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Thanks for 20 and 8!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 Known for the action-comedy The Expendables.... HM: Dolph Lundgren in Crime Stinks (this was so out there and great in a so-bad-its-good way) Known for the action-comedy The Expendables 2... 22. Chuck Norris in Chuck Norris and Liam Neeson vs. Santa Claus, Ultimate Badass Known for the long and condescending drama Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close... HM: Thomas Horn in The 39 Clues: The Sword Thief Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blankments Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 Known for the fantasy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2... 25. Michael Gambon in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe Known for the fantasy Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.... 18. David Tennant in Miserable Fans Known for the war movie Inglourious Basterds... HM: Michael Fassbender in White Cargo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
